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Premiers tout their own national energy strategy

Feds not part of plan that Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne says will address climate change while opening markets

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is flanked by other premiers including, to her right, PEI's Robert Ghiz and Quebec's Phlippe Couillard, at the closing news conference Friday of the Council of the Federation. (Andrew Vaughan / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

CHARLOTTETOWN—Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders have reached a landmark deal on a national energy strategy that addresses climate change and brings Quebec into the fold.

In a political win for Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and newly elected federalist Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard, the Council of the Federation announced the provisional Canadian Energy Strategy on Friday.

Wynne said it’s good news for the environment — and potentially for energy consumers.

“If we can have good working relationships across the country with businesses and governments in all of the provinces and territories, we stand to gain,” the Ontario premier told the Star.

“We stand to develop markets, we stand to develop partnerships that will allow for investment and we stand potentially to put together energy deals that would actually help the price of energy in Ontario,” she said, adding it could mean greener, safer pipelines.

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“We can be an energy powerhouse and we can be a clean energy powerhouse.”

It calls for “a transition to a lower-carbon economy through appropriate initiatives, such as carbon pricing, carbon capture and storage and other technological innovations.”

Couillard, whose Quebec separatist predecessor Pauline Marois had refused to participate in the initiative, said the premiers “made the essential link between environment and an energy strategy.”

“I want to stress how happy I am,” he told the closing news conference of the premiers’ annual confab.

“For ordinary Canadians — on top of being offered a greater guarantee of a sustainable environment and development — it’s also a fact that we want Canadians to have access to energy of all kinds from the west coast to the east coast up to the north.”

Alberta Premier Dave Hancock, whose oil-rich province had long urged some kind of national energy strategy, said “this is a very exciting time.”

“Canadian premiers from all 13 jurisdictions to agree on principles and vision with respect to a carbon strategy,” said Hancock.

“The whole country is committed to dealing with energy in terms of market access but also in terms of sustainability, environmental stewardship and climate-change issues,” he said.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said the provinces and territories can proceed without any input from Ottawa.

“I don’t think we want the federal government setting the price for carbon,” said Wall, adding a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t work because each province is unique.

“There’s a determination on the part of the provinces to deal with the issue. We each have different economies, different energy profiles and we’re each serious about the issue,” he said.

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark noted her province has “had a carbon tax for quite a while (and) our economy has continued to grow at the same time that our greenhouse-gas emissions have gone down.”

Clark, like her other colleagues, praised Couillard, who was elected in April, for his infusion of new blood into the Council of the Federation.

“We are delighted that Quebec has signed onto this. It’s a watershed moment around the premiers’ table,” she said.

The accord will be finalized when the provincial and territorial leaders meet next summer in Newfoundland.

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